A journey to Ashango-Land, and further penetration into equatorial Africa . e llth, Igoumbie is the largest village. I havemet with yet, and forms one long and tolerably broadstreet. I counted 191 huts; each hut has a woodendoor, and is divided into three compartments orchambers. The houses are generally placed close toeach other, not wide apart like the houses of theAponos. There are many of the curious alumbihouses scattered about. A large mbuiti or idol housestands about halfway down the street, with a mon-strous wooden image inside, which the villagers holdin great reverence. The village b
A journey to Ashango-Land, and further penetration into equatorial Africa . e llth, Igoumbie is the largest village. I havemet with yet, and forms one long and tolerably broadstreet. I counted 191 huts; each hut has a woodendoor, and is divided into three compartments orchambers. The houses are generally placed close toeach other, not wide apart like the houses of theAponos. There are many of the curious alumbihouses scattered about. A large mbuiti or idol housestands about halfway down the street, with a mon-strous wooden image inside, which the villagers holdin great reverence. The village being so large, theinhabitants seem to have thought it required severalpalaver-houses, for I noticed four or five. Thepalaver-house is an open shed, which answers thepurpose of a public-house, club-room, or town-hall, tothese people; they meet there daily to smoke andgossip, hold public trials or palavers, and receivestrangers. What was most remarkable, there was herean attempt at decorative work on the doors of many ofthe houses. The huts, neatly built, with walls formed. ISHOGO HOUSES, WITH OENAMENTAL BOOKS. CHAr. XIII. HUTS OF THE ISHOGOS. 265 of the bark of trees, had their doors painted red,white, and black, in complicated and sometimes notinelegant patterns. These doors were very inge-niously made; they turned upon pivots above andbelow, which worked in the frame instead of house is of an oblong shape, about twenty-twofeet long by ten or twelve feet broad ; the door beingin the middle of the front, three and a half feet highand two and a half feet broad. The walls are fourand a half feet high and the highest part of the roofis about nine feet. I could not sleep last night on account of the noisemade by these Ishogos. They sang their mbuitisongs until daylight, marching from one end of thevillage to the other. When at a distance theirsinging did not sound unpleasant, but when close byit was almost deafening. During the day I madefriends with the Ishogos, and gav
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, books, booksubjectnaturalhistory
